Improvement in harvesters



UNITED STATES PATENT' OFFICE.

FREDERICK HFMANNY, OF ROCKFOR'D, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specirication forming part of Letters Patent No. 29,800, dated August 28,1860.

State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harvesters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which make part of this specification, and in which- Figure l represents a view in perspectiveof a portion ot' the gearing-frame of aharvesting.

machine embracing my improvements, the black lines showing the cap or bonnet which covers the crank and balance-wheel, when said cap is raised, to permit the sickle to be drawn out, and the red lines showing the same when lowered to its place to protect the crank and balance-wheel from grass, leaves, Snc. Fig. 2 represents a moditied form of a segmentshaped balance-plate, and Fig. 'representsa modified `form of shield-plate to protect thev crank and balance-wheel.

In that classof harvesters in which reciprocating cutters are employed, (which class constitutes by far the greater portion of the machines now used,) a balance-wheel upon the crank-shaft which operates the cutters has become almost universal, owing to the steadiness ot' the motion it imparts. In some ot these machines, however-such, for instance, as that known as the*J. H. Manny machinethe use of such a balance-wheel is attended with very great inconvenience, owing to the tact the arrangement of the mechanism ofthe aforesaid ,machines being such that the crank works so close to the frame of the machine that if a balance-wheel were employed the sickle could not be removed from the guardtingers without tirst removing the balancewheel, and consequently the crank-shaft; and as the sickle must necessarily be taken out many times in aseason to sharpen it, replace broken sections, &c., the inconvenience attendant thereupon has proved so serious as to prevent the general use ot' balancewheels in such machines. WVhent-hisevilis attempted to be remedied by the employment ot" a segment-shaped balance-plate, which admits of the ready rem0 val ofthe sickle, an otherevil is engenderedviz., that caused by the liability ofthe grass to wind around thebalance-plate and crank, and thus to interrupt the proper action ofthe cutting apparatus.

It is the object of my invention to obviate this latter objection; and to this` end my improvement consists in arranging` a cap, bonnet, or guard-plate upon the frame in such manner that it may rest upon the shoe above which the balanceplate revolves and protect the latter from the grass, leaves, Sac., while it may also readily be removed, when desired, to permit the sickle to be drawn out from between the guard-fingers.

In the accompanying drawings, a balanceplate, a, (formed in this instance by removing a segment of a circle from two sides of an ordinary balancewheek) is represented as secured upon a crank-shaft, I), turning in bearings on the gearing-frame E.

A wrist-pin, c, to which the pitman-rod that reciprocates the sickle is secured, is inserted into the balance-plate, the throw of said crank being adjusted by means of a series of holes in the plate at different distances from its axis of rotation. The balanceplate, it will. he observed, is so arranged as to rotate ver),` nearly in contact with the shoe c, which is fastened to the linger-beam F,^and to which one fork of the tongue is pivoted.

A cap or bonnet, D, is pivoted to the gearing-frame in such manner that it may readily be lowered so as to cover the balance-plate,

or raised so as to be out of the way when required. IVhen the sickle is to be removed the balance-plate is turned to the position shown in Fig. l of the drawings and the pit-V man-rod removed from the wrist-pin. The

ot' the harvester, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my neme.

FREDERICK H. MANNY.

Witnesses: y

JOHN P. MANNY, W. C. BLINN. 

